Hi there!

Exciting projects have all sorts of fascinating origin stories. Here’s ours. And a little bit about us. Nice to meet you!

Illustrated portraits of Ben and John. Ben is a white male with dark hair and a buzzcut and beard. John is a white male with short white hair and a beared wearing round glasses with a black and red frame.
Illustrated portraits of Ben and John. Ben is a white male with dark hair and a buzzcut and beard. John is a white male with short white hair and a beared wearing round glasses with a black and red frame.
Illustrated portraits of Ben and John. Ben is a white male with dark hair and a buzzcut and beard. John is a white male with short white hair and a beared wearing round glasses with a black and red frame.

Punctuation is powerful. It can change the world. However, learning about it isn’t usually much fun for both kids and grown-ups alike. So, we created the PUNX to help make learning about why, how, where, and when to use punctuation fun, entertaining and educational. And through that open a whole universe of possibilities for readers and writers of all ages.

How we got here? Great question!

Here’s our little story… so far:

Good things sometimes happen accidentally. In 2023, John and Ben met one another by chance while teaching at Princeton University. Sparked by our joint love for the written word as well as the amazing creativity of our (grand)kids, we decided it might be fun in our spare time to explore the personalities of punctuation marks for kids, parents, and teachers.

We both felt that these little characters – .  ,  !  ? and their PUNX buddies – had surprising powers to bring meaning to the written word. They support everyone’s struggle to understand and be understood. Simply put, they help us make sense.

But while grammar rules are kind of boring, we wanted our exploration to be fun for kids. Who doesn’t like to have fun while learning?! Above all, we wanted kids to know that you don’t need to be big to matter. These little PUNX have a lot of clout!

Join us and the PUNX on their meaning-ful adventures!

The PUNX and we invite you to join us however you prefer – visit our website, follow our regular Instagram posts, or leave your email on the homepage to stay up-to-date with our other media efforts in the works.

We invite you to share your own favorite take on punctuation in your life. Got a favorite punctuation mark? A particular quote you like that showcases the PUNX in action? Or maybe in the wrong place! [sic] A memory about trying to learn each of them and their roles in making meaning out of words? 

Drop us a line at hello@meetthepunx.com.

We may share your observations with our other PUNX fans (assuming that’s OK with you).

In the meantime, if you’d like to know a bit more about us, here we are:

Ben Lehnert has the heart of an artist and the mind of a maker. He has led creative teams behind award-winning products people love and billions use every day. He’s a designer, consultant, teacher, and author of Typoguide, a pocket guide to master everyday typographic adventures. Born in Germany to a family of craftspeople, he lives between Princeton, NJ, and Kingston, NY. Ben loves hand-made things, photography in black and white, and the sound of water. He is Emma’s dad, and his favorite punctuation mark is the – (m dash, not n dash) because the space in between thoughts is where inspiration lives.

John Danner likes to put ideas together in interesting, fun ways – whether he’s teaching, consulting, writing, or just hanging out. He’s a bestselling author, trusted advisor, and has taught at both UC Berkeley and Princeton for many years. Married to his college sweetheart, he has three sons and three granddaughters. When he’s home in Berkeley or Inverness, California, he enjoys wooden jigsaw puzzles, word plays, and – just to torture his family – puns. Oh, yeah, his favorite punctuation mark is the ? – because questions open the doors to progress.

The fine print: You know this already but we have to say it anyway. You’re a good person. Don’t steal people’s art.


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